Butte semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1886-1890, 1887-11-05
PROBABLY A HOAX.
Chief Justice Waite Receives bv Nail
IN Internal Machine Which
Fails to Explode VIXEN
It is Opened.
Wild Animals Escape From Circus
Cages In q Freight Yard-Suc.
cessfnl Robbery on the
Denver & Rio
6rande.


was made to either kill or main Chief
Justice Waite Of the Supreme Court. or to
perpetrate q silly hoax. About half.past
six q small box was sent to his house,
through the special delivery postal service.
1t was pasteboard box, about ten inches
by six. looking something like a valentine
box, and was addressed in q small,
cramped and apparently disguised back.
hand, to the "Hon. Chief Justice Waite,
1415 street, N. w., Washington, d. c."
Near the bottom were the
words, important papers," under
scored. Tho thing enclosed was
q glass tube about ten inches long and OF
the diameter of lead pencil. The tube
was bent at att angle OF about sixty degrees
and was fastened to the box by means OF a
small piece Of heavy paper pasted over it.
The tube for most OF it's length contained .
iet black liquid, but about one and hsh
inches from TIE end was percussion cap
separating the fluid ir0niia little more than
an inch OF coarse powder, apparently wnss
is
KNOWN AS ATLAS POWDER.
At the other end of the powder was an.
other percussion cap and to this was
attached q wire which was apparently
intended to explode the tube. This wire
was Joined to small rubber band fastened
to one side of the box and another wire
ran from the rubber to q ''hook and eye,
which was held in place by piece OF
paper pasted over it. 1t the machl'e I.
really what it seems to be the raising o.
the lid would have exploded it before it
reached the Chief Justices house. How
ever the box was stamped on one side by
a postotiice employe, and the force VIII
which the blow was struck N stamping
caused the wire to slip through the "hook
and eye" thus severing the necessary con-
nection. There are circumstances when
lead to the suspicion that the
WHOLE THING Is A HOAX.
The person through whom the matter was
brought to the attention of the police is
Young man who sells items to newspaper
correspondents and who is not by many
regarded as Trustworthy. His Dame il
| y nithhe|d at the request of the police to
whom be told substantially the following
story: About o'clock he went to tht
postoffice to mail a letter and going to ONT
of the desks to address 1T, he nonced
man putting the address OF Chief astlc'
Waite on q box. He says he thoughT notn
+, ing of it at the time and therefore ola no
observe the man closely enough to be aDl'
to identity him. When on the street, now
ever, the thought came to MN .he! |:
was something suspicious ABOUT !
;nasro,,ch ne s.e4 tIe-a1GGhief Justie
lhad On Wednesday delivered an oplnlol
denvipc a writ of error to the con6cihhe'
Chicago Anarchists. He thereu!s'n went q
tho home of the Chief Justice and lnqn,re'
ri him If he had received box. Inc Cn'e
Jnstjce said he had not and the young tha
then went to the postoffice and aseertaohe y
If the box had been delivered at 90
o'clock. He next
INFORMED THE coRREsPoNpESTs
q, two Western papers OF the matter an
i offered to sci! them the story about IL. ~
o-resnondents desired to make further II
. vest,pation and went to the police static
and told the story to Detective sergear
Ho,Ia nbereer, who Immediately ca'ied
, The Chief Justice, who then acsnow'enSe
: !, rece;vinc the box and gave 1t to the oe
: oeant. The Chief Justice said ne hao I
ce;ved the box while at dinner ana opens
+ INIT without being harmed. the wire whle
J. vas to have exploded it having ID PEI
detached as already stated. Mr.. wal
did not attach any Importance 70 tne %
e and said he thought it 9 sensat'onal aoa @
g The sergeant took the box to ponce nea
y ouorters. where it is now held as evldent
= Ssrceant Hollanberger said he had no CT
:. ~ the sender of the box. and the you
c man was unable to give any descr'po,on
NJ the man whom be had seen addressing
Y before mailing it.